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Product Description A BEST OF SUMMER READ ACCORDING TO NEWSWEEK, PARADE MAGAZINE, NBC NEWS, LITHUB, AND POPSUGAR! "The most heartfelt read of the summer...a surprising delight of a novel."--Shondaland An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb. Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home. When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. From School Library Journal Elderly Mukesh Patel has become a hermit since the death of his wife. Naina was an avid reader, a passion Mukesh never shared. Happening upon a library copy of The Time Traveler's Wife that she'd forgotten to return, he starts to read it and finds himself entranced. Teenager Aleisha is not a reader and is completely bored with her summer job as a library clerk. While she's checking in books, a piece of paper falls out of one. Titled "JUST IN CASE YOU NEED IT," it's a list of eight classic books, beginning with To Kill a Mockingbird. With nothing else to do, she decides to read all the books on the list. Aleisha shares the list with Mukesh, who soon begins to use the library as an escape from his too-quiet home. The feeling of being immersed into the world of a book is accurately depicted. The novel is divided into sections based upon each book, and the characters eventually learn how the books' themes resonate in their own lives. VERDICT This is a book for lovers of books, especially fiction. It might also be perfect for those who think they don't love books.-Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach P.L., CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Review "A quietly beautiful novel about the magic of books and the joy of human connection.” -- Newsweek "A remarkable, heartwarming debut about the power of fiction." -- Popsugar "Thoughtful and heartwarming... An absolute delight to read, it will be catnip to book groups craving a story to remind them why we read and how very important libraries and book shops are." -- Library Journal (starred review) "A lovely story about how a love of reading can transport us to other worlds and also bring us together.” -- Toronto Star "This moving debut demonstrates the power of novels to provide comfort in the face of devastating loss and loneliness, with relatable characters and a heartwarming tone throughout. Readers who enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop will find themselves drawn in by this book." -- Booklist "The most heartfelt read of the summer...a surprising delight of a novel." -- Shondaland “The story is an absolute joy. A captivating and exquisitely crafted debut.” -- Heidi Swain, bestselling author of The Winter Garden “If you love books, read this. If you love people, read this. If you love crying with sadness, crying with happiness, and feeling like you